The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) in Baker City, Oregon is preparing an ATV grant application for 2010 and would welcome emails of support from to attach to the grant application. The BLM Baker Field Office depends on ATV grant dollars to help fund OHV management in their area. The Baker Resource Area includes all the BLM land in Northeastern Oregon (Baker, Union, Umatilla, and Wallowa Counties mostly). This also includes Virtue Flat OHV Area.

For those who may be unaware, there are 3 classes of "ATV" in Oregon:

Class I are what most people think of as "ATVs", i.e., quadsClass II are 4x4's, UTV's, dune buggies, etc.
Class III are motorcycles

So the way it works is, you buy an ATV sticker for your "atv", and that money goes into the ATV fund. The ATV committee then distributes that money through the grant process to clubs, groups, and agencies. You can read more about the Oregon ATV Grant program here:

This grant is for "operations and maintenance" for 2010. If awarded, it will help pay for day to day management of Virtue Flat, as well as for general off-highway vehicle management elsewhere in the Resource Area. This includes seasonal staffing during peak use periods, signing, maps, bulletin boards, safety patrol, restroom rental, facilities, and trail maintenance.

So, if you play at Virtue Flat, or ever plan to, or just want to support OHV recreation in eastern Oregon in general, please take time in the next few days to send a quick email in support, asking the ATV committee to help fund motorized recreation management on BLM lands in the Baker Resource Area.

Santiam Pass Motorized Recreational Area-Letters of support for the project

Wendy of the Willamette Natl Forest is in the process of applying for ATV grants for the Santiam Pass. Since our group (PNW4WDA) and individuals have been productive, active partners at Santiam, would you be willing to write a letter or two supporting the projects? She is working on an operations and maintenance proposal and a next-phase development proposal and our support on either or both would be greatly appreciated.
The O/M proposal includes salary for staff to maintain and patrol the area. Basically, passing out maps and safety information, replacing vandalized signs, checking for compliance with state regs, and things of that nature.
The Development grant would move into the next phase of trail design and construction, staging area improvements, etc.

Letterhead is good; just an email is good. She needs to have the proposals filed with OPRD by 11/20; if she had something in hand by Monday or Tuesday, she'd have time to get it in the final packet.

This is the new trail DC4W and Region 6 worked on all summer we have 12,584 man/woman hours invested so far.

Wendy of the Willamette Natl Forest is in the process of applying for ATV grants for the Santiam Pass. Since our group (PNW4WDA) and individuals have been productive, active partners at Santiam, would you be willing to write a letter or two supporting the projects?